Friday 30 January 2015

Spanish Club Rayo Vallecano names Stadium after Nigerian goalie Wilfred Agbonivbare

In honour of Wilfred Agbonivbare who recently passed on, his former club Rayo Vallecano have named their stadium after the Nigerian goalkeeper who lost the battle to cancer.


Report on the club website speaks volume of how much they appreciated his input to to the club.


The statement read: “The Board of Directors of the Club has decided unanimously to keep alive the memory of Wilfred and therefore will call the Gate 1 Vallecas Stadium, Gate Wilfred Agbonavbare.


''The club managers also thanked everyone who showed love towards Agbonavbare while he battled cancer on behalf of the late goalkeeper’s family. The directors said that they were touched by “the countless signs of affection that have been coming to club on a sad day for everyone.''
On the official Twitter account, the club tweeetd ''Wilfred should have never died . Great person , companion, friend . Life was unfair to him "
Agbonavbare was part of the Eagles team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

Barcelona tie will come good for Villareal - Ike Uche

Super Eagles and villareal striker Ike Uche has stated that their his club's La Liga league match against Barcelona this weekend will be a good outing.

He told NIgeri's number one sports Radio, Brila FM on friday that the his side is in good spirit and are happy with their recent performance.

''We hope that things will continue to go the way they are going with us now.''

Villareal will be visiting the Camp Nou after an impressive performance in the Copa Del Rey which saw the team qualify for the Semi final.

Thursday 29 January 2015

AFCON 2015: Guinea to face Ghana in Quarter Final as Ivory Coast tackle Algeria

Th Syli Nationale of Guinea will now face Ghana in the quarter final stage of African Cup of Nations after they were picked ahead of Mali through casting of lots on Thursday in Malabo.

Host Country Equatorial Guinea will battle Tunisia, while the battle of Congolese sees Congo trade tackles with DR Congo on Saturday.

On Sunday, it will be Ivory Coast vs Algeria in an epic battle for a place in the semis.

See what Mario Balotelli's Agent Mino Raiola told him to keep him Happy at Liverpool

Mario Balotelli's Agent Rino Maiola recently granted an interview in which he revealed how he has been able to keep the Italian striker happy at Anfield.

''Of all the champions I have dealt with, I’ve never managed one who has suffered more injustices than Mario. People just don’t know him. The truth is Mario is an insecure lad and, due to this insecurity, he tends to do some ridiculous things.

''I’ve always been one who wanted to make my players happy. With everybody else, I've always done things my way, but not with him. ''I need my mum and my friends in Italy,'' he said. And being a father myself and wanting him to be happy, I took him back to Italy from City. I should have told him: ''You are not going back to Italy. City are a big club and they will always support you. This is the football that matters and you want out of it.''

''I saw him on Monday and told him: ''You've got a four-year contract here and I’m not taking you anywhere else. Either you leave Liverpool for 60-70 million euros, and I win my bet, or you will die there.''

''It’s the first time I've spoken in such a way to a player. I saw him relaxed, changed and different to how he was at Milan. He was used to everybody liking him and finding room wherever he was, but it’s not like that at Liverpool. Either you do as they say, or you're out.

''This period with Liverpool is the biggest lesson he has had. He's applying himself a lot now and his private life has calmed down too. It's not worth asking if Liverpool are the right club for him any more -- they are the only club for him.''

As reported by The GuardianUk

Chris Smalling's Interesting insight into Manchester United Dressing Room

Chris Smalling lets us into the Red devils' dressing room and reveals who sits near him in the Aon Training Complex dressing room...
Google Image: Chris Smalling
''I sit in the right-hand corner next to Jonny Evans. Ben Amos used to be next to me, but he moved because he kept leaving his wet gloves on the side - we pushed him over to the goalkeeper corner! I was also next to Danny Welbeck, but his place has been taken by Jesse Lingard, and Tyler Blackett is next to him – it’s quite a young corner, but it’s also a fun corner to be in.

Daley Blind is next to Tyler and Michael Carrick is next to him, so it’s a good corner and a tidy one too! Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney tend to be pretty loud in their corner, but ours probably rivals theirs.

''You get to know people better when you sit next to them every day, and I think that goes for the whole dressing room - everyone gets on well. We’ve had quite a few new players and youth players coming through and it’s been easy for everyone to gel together.

''The dressing room is always pretty lively. We all come in around a similar time and there are always lots of jokes. Sometimes there will be socks thrown around so it’s good to be able to see everyone from our corner! You have around an hour to prepare before training and everyone is always in good spirits. It helps that we’re in good form and we want to keep it going.'' (Source: Manutd.com)

Simply put, a winning team will always have a lively dressing room. #Fact or what do you think?

Arsenal new signing Gabriel Paulista says England is dream come true

24-year-old Gabriel Paulista was unveiled as an Arsenal player on Wednesday, after the Gunners agreed a fee around £11.2m wit Villarreal for the defender.
Google Image: Gabriel Paulista
The player who has never played for his native Brazil admitted that joing an English premier League side.

''I came from a club that is not that big in Brazilian football (Esporte Clube Vitoria),'' he said.

''I went to Spanish football and that was another dream come true, to play in Europe.

''A while ago I had a really huge desire to play in the Premier League, so since that point I put it in my head that I really wanted to do it. I had a talk with my family and I told them that it was my dream to play in the Premier League. Getting here to such a big club is so gratifying.

''I am arriving at a big club and the fans can expect to find a Gabriel with a great will to help everyone. Not just thinking of me as an individual, because to me that is not important.

''I care more about helping the team and my team-mates. I want to help everyone, so the fans can expect a Gabriel that on the field has a lot of will to be able to help the team win important things.''

AFCON 2015: Ivory Coast land in Quarter finals, Guinea and Mali left hanging

Google Image: CIV
It was indeed a display of best of African football artistry, as ''Power'' houses Cameroon and Ivory Coast did battle on wednesday while Guinea and Mali also trade tackles to decided who goes through to the knock out stage of the on-going African cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

Ivory Coast and Cameroon had it tough and quite rough as the Elephant trampled on the Lions the battle securing a lone goal victory enough to see them through to the qaurter finals of the competition. It was Max Gradel's 35th minutes strike that sent Cameroon packing from Malabo.

In the other fixture between Guinea and Mali, it was all-square as they finished one goal appease, tied on points on the table and hang their fate of progression in luck.

CAF has announced that the winner will be decided later today when the Lots will be drawn using Article 74 of Afcon Regulations.

Let's see who gets favoured as the quarter finals commence on Saturday.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Cristiano Ronaldo gets two match ban following red card against Cordoba

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for two games and will now miss league games against Real Sociedad and Sevilla as a result of the red card he picked up in Saturday's game.

Ronaldo was red carded in the match against Cordoba with his side having to struggle to win 2-1 with 10-men

Frustrated Ronaldo didn't make much impact in the match and he lashed out his hand at Jose Crespo, which the referee missed, and then minutes later kick out at Edimar, for which he was sent off.

"I apologise to everyone and especially to Edimar for my thoughtless act in today's game'', - Ronaldo said in an apology after the match.

Arsenal Knocked Out of UEFA League

Relax! I's not Arsenal's senior team that was eliminated, but the U-19s after they lost to Athletico Madrid in the UEFA Youth League by a lone goal on Tuesday.

Reports have it that the young Guns conceeded early minutes into the match, dominated possession but could not get back into the match as Athletico Madrid held on to their lead.

Read more on Arsenal.com

Capital One: Chelsea Player Willian Shares Dressing Room Picture after beating Liverpool

Shortly after shocking Liverpool by a lone goal which ensured that Chelsea qualifies for Capital One Cup Final, Brazilian Willian borges took to social media to share a dressing room picture in excitement.

He posted the poicture along with this comment ''yeeees we are going to Wembley #CFC #FINAL Glory to God.''

Branislav Ivanovic scored the only goal which separated both sides in the 94th minute after a scoreless regulation time to ensure that Chelsea go through on 2-1 aggregate, (first leg ended 1-1 at anfield.)

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Ghana and Algeria go through to next round of AFCON 2015

It was indeed a thrilling encounter in Group C challenge as all teams went into the games with highhope of seeing the next phase.

Algeria beat Senegal to cement their place taking the lead from first half and doubling in the second 45' of the encounter.

Ghana on the other hand came from behind to see off South AFrica in a game which ended 2-1 in favour of the black stars.

The victory ensure that Ghana finished top on the log with 6pts but ahead of Algeria based on goal advantage. Meanwhile, Senegalese who many thought to be favourites finished thrid on the table with 4pts and Bafana Bafana with  just a point.

Lets go Group D on Wednesday as the llikes of Ivory Coast battle for survival.

Samuel Etoo Bids Everton Fans Farewell as he Joins Sampdoria

Former Cameroon Captain Samuel Etoo has sent a farewell message to the Toffees having joined Italian Serie A side, Sampdoria on a three year contract.

Etoo moved to the Italian club after completing his loan deal at Everton where he score a four goals in 12 games.

The former Indomitable Lion, took to social media to express his gratitude in a letter to the Toffees via his Twitter page @setoo9 which reads:

''Dear Toffees,
I've been blessed to spend these past few months with you.

To my pleasure, I have discovered here a crowd of warm, passionate, affectionate and supportive fans... It's time for me to leave, but wherever I go, I will bring with me all the memories we've built together.

A special "Thank You" to the Everton staff who helped me settle down and of course to our manager Roberto, who made all of that possible.
It was an honour to be part of your army.''

The four time African Footballer of the year hopes to help Sampdoria who are fifth in Serie A, 15 points behind leaders Juventus.

Nigeria Ex-Goalkeeper Agbonivbare is dead

Reports from Spain confirm that former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Wilfred Agbonivbare, is dead. 

The former Rayo Vallecao shot stopper had been treated for cancer in the United States until he was asked to return to his Spain home about three weeks ago. 

His death comes after Spanish newspaper, Marca, confirmed that Vallecano had raised money for his treatment.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Tomas Berdych sends Nadal Packing

Tomas Berdych defeated Spaniard Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-2 6-0 7-6 to progress into the semi-finals of the Australian Open, in Melbourne.

Berdych avoided becoming the first man to lose 18 straight tour-level matches against a single player. It marked his first win over Nadal since the 2006 Madrid quarter-finals.

The 29-year-old Czech has not dropped a set this fortnight, and awaits the winner between three-time finalist Andy Murray and 19-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios who face off in the night session. Berdych also reached the semi-finals last year in Melbourne (l. to Wawrinka).

Source: Atpworldtour.com

AFCON 2015: Tunisia and DR Congo qualify from Group B

Group B has been decided and it'ss Tunisia and DR Congo that madeit trough to the next round.

Water logged picth slowed down the pace of the game betweeen Zambia and Cape Verde which ended in stalemate.

Tunisia and congo ended 1-1 as the Tunisians qualified with 5PT, Congo 3PT making it on better goal average, Cape Verde 3PTS, and Zambia finished last.

GRoup C is next, as South Africa trades tackle with Ghana while Senegal and ALgeria will slug it out in the other fixture.

Lets see who goes through.

Monday 26 January 2015

Omeruo's Middlesbrough to play Arsenal in Fifth Round of FA Cup

Nigeria's Kenneth Omeruo's Middlesbrough will be away at the Emirates when they take on Arsenal in the 5th round of the English FA Cup.

The Gunners dumped Brighton out of the competition on Sunday, while Aitor Karanka’s side eliminated Premier League champions Manchester City from the competition.

If Manchester United win their replay against Cambridge, they will play either Preston or Sheffield United.

Here are the full draws:
Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool or Bolton

Arsenal vs. Middlesbrough
Aston Villa vs. Leicester City
West Bromwich Albion vs. West Ham United
Bradford City vs. Sunderland or Fulham
Blackburn Rovers vs. Rochdale or Stoke City
Preston or Sheffield United vs. Cambridge vs. Manchester United

English FA Cup: Do you know what this Rosicky's Pass against Brighton Albion is called in Nigeria?

Tomas Rosicky showed the lads at Brighton Albion he still got some stuff when he tricked their defenders looking one way and passing to Ozil on the other way.
Image: Stadiumnews.com
Theo Walcott opened scoring early in the first half for the Gunners while Rosicky scored and assisted Mesut Ozil to edge Brighton by 2-3.

Phil Neville said he would have double-footed the Arsenal midfielder for the trick.

Some say it's ''No look Pass'' but in Nigeria we call it ''Soju Nu Pass'' or ''Throway Face'', meaning, Look one way and passing the other way.





Former Nigeria National Team Youth Coach Musa Abdullahi dies

Former coach of the Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets has died after several years of battling with stroke and buried same day on Sunday as required by Muslim rites.

He led the Golden Eaglets to a second place finish at 2001 FIFA U-17 World Cup staged in Trinidad and Tobago

The Kogi State born coach died at the age of 61.

Rest in Peace Coach.

Sunday 25 January 2015

Equatorial Guinea shocks Gabon, qualifies for AFCON knock-out stage

Wow! Incredible! Equatorial Guinea has qualified for the knocked out stage of the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
Google: Jubilant Equatorial Guinea
Right inside the Bata Stadium, they defeated neighbours Gabon 2-0 to make the phenomenal progress in the tournament.

The second Group A game saw Congo edge last time runners-up Burkina Faso b 2-1 to go through as well.

Congo however tops the group with 7pts, Equatorial Guinea 5pts, Gabon 3pts and Burkina Faso finished with just a single point.

Bye Bye Gabon and Burkinabes.

My Take: Never right anyone off. Equatorial Guinea left the best for the last.
Lets go Group B....

Friday 23 January 2015

Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala Signs For Liverpool FC Ladies

Liverpool FC Ladies have announced the signing of Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala.

The 20-Year old was recently announced the African Women's Player of the Year 2014 made the move fom Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt .

Delighted Oshoala said about the move to the Merseyside, "Since I began my football career I have always dreamt of being a professional footballer, so to be able to join the reigning Women's Super League champions is absolutely fantastic.

"Liverpool Ladies are a massive club, who have some fantastic players who I believe can help to develop my game to the next level. It was also a big incentive to be able to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League, which is a huge competition and one I'm confident we can do well in." (Source Liverpoolfc.com)

Oshoala emerged as the best player and highest goal scorer at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Watch The Young and gifted Real Madrid new Signing Martin Odegaard (VIDEO)

This young Norwegian, Martin Odegaard is the new kid on the block who has been likened to top stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo et al.
The Spanish giants announced the capture of talented 16-year old on  Thursday ''Real Madrid CF and Football Stromsgodset have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Martin Odegaard'' - a statement on the club's official website reads.

In 2014, he became the first youngest player to ever play in the Norwegian league and also youngest goalscorer. As a 15-year old whose display could not go unnoticed, he got the attention of the Scandinavians press and was called up to the national team, where he broke new records. Odegaard became the youngest Norwegian international in history in August — only 15 years and 253 days old — and later the youngest ever to feature in a UEFA EURO qualifier, in October against Bulgaria. (According to FIFA.COM)

However, reports have it that the lad would be joining the Real's youth side Castilla, presently playing in the third division, under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane.

Video courtesy Realmadrid.com





Thursday 22 January 2015

Attention! Watch-Out for Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge and Balotelli Strike-Partnership

Daniel Sturridge has been out for over 4 month and now looking forward to partnering upfront with out of favour Italian forward Mario Balotelli.


Sturridge tweeted a pic of him and Balotelli along with a post on thursday "My man!!! We're gonna be linking up soon!! @mb459"


Balotelli posted the same snap with the comment: "@dstudge huh! Look Who did i meet?!! Lol !!! can't wait together #myfriend"

Obafemi Martins endorses APC Lagos Governorship Candidate Akinwunmi Ambode

Seattle Sounders striker Obafemi Martins has endorsed the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode for the Lagos State governorship elections.

He dopped this pic on his Instagram with post ''APC for Change''

Reports say it that the footballer was at the party's rally held in Oworonsoki area of the state on Monday.

Former captain of the Super Eagles also recently endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan during PDP Presidential campaign.

Celebrities and Politicians shaaa. 

Deloitte: Real Madrid is the Richest Club in the World for the 10th year

Spanish giants Real Madrid have been confirmed by world's reputable financial accountants Deloitte as the richest football club in the world for the 10th year running. 
Despite a poor run of performance in the season in question, Manchester United rose two places to make second place while Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal made top 10.

1. Real Madrid - £459.5m
2. Manchester United - £433.2m
3. Bayern Munich - £407.7m
4. Barcelona - £405.2m
5. Paris Saint-Germain - £396.5m
6. Manchester City - £346.5m
7. Chelsea - £324.4m
8. Arsenal - £300.5m
9. Liverpool - £255.8m 
10. Juventus - £233.6m
11. Borussia Dortmund - £218.7m
12. AC Milan - £208.8m
13. Tottenham - £180.5m
14. Schalke 04 - £178.9m
15. Atletico Madrid - £142.1m
16. Napoli £137.8m
 17. Inter Milan - £137.1m
18. Galatasaray - £135.4m
19. Newcastle United - £129.7m
20. Everton £120.5m
21. West Ham United - £105.3m
22. Aston Villa - £101.9m
23. Marseille - £100m
24. Roma - £97.7m
25. Southampton - £97.3
26. Benfica - £96.6
27. Sunderland - £95.7m
28. Hamburg - £92.2m
29. Swansea City - £90.5m
30. Stoke City - £90.1m

AFCON 2015: If Burkina Faso must make the knock-out stage

Source: Google
As it stands in Group A of the AFCON 2015, Burkinafaso occupy the last place in the group after their second match against the host Equatorial Guinea ended in a stalemate (0-0).

Beaten by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang led Gabon by two goals to nil in the opening game last Saturday, and picking their first point puts the Burkinabes in a battle for a place in the knock-out stage.

Alain Traore has been the best man so far, hitting the woodwork a number of times in both matches while the likes of Bance and AFCON 2014 Best player Jonathan Pritoipa are yet to have their own highlights.

If the 2013 AFCON runner-up must qualify for the knock-out stage, they must beat Congo and hope that Gabon get the better of Equatorial Guinea. 

Wednesday 21 January 2015

AFCON 2015 Prize Money breakdown


Winner : $1.5M
Runner-up: $1M
Semi-Finalists: $750k
Quarter-Finalist: $600k

Gervinho Tenders Red Card Apology

Ivory Coast forward Gervinho has apologised for seeing red in their opening AFCON match against Guinea on Tuesday.
Google: Gervinho
He was given the matching orders by the Referee after he reacted to a nasty foul by Naby Keita which caused the team to go a man down, trailing a goal.

The Roma ace shared his statement via twitter @GervinhOfficial on Wednesday ''I want to present my apologies to the Ivorian nation, my teammates, the fans and the CAN organizers for this angry gesture which is not like me, and no place for recess on a football field.''

Meanwhile, the Ivorians were rescued by Seydou Doumbia's strike in the 72nd, but have a tie against Mali on Saturday.


Footballers warned against taking Selfies with female fans

Iranian football authorities have issued warnings to players of the National team currently playing in the Asia Cup in Australia over taking selfies with female supporters.
 They say it's against their ''moral principles''. They even say in Iran you do not find women watching men football inside the stadium.
According to a report on NDTV Sports the Iranian Football Federation's disciplinary committee immediately issued a warning to the players to steer clear from the women - many dressed in casual western attires.

"Players are not allowed to pose for selfies with female fans," an official -- Ali Akbar Mohamedzade -- was quoted as saying. "They [the women] may later use these photos for political ransom against our country or sue the players for harassment. If the players refuse to act according to our clear instructions then we will be left with no option but to deal with them."
"In some of the selfies that our players have taken with the fans we can see they appear next to people whose appearance we regard as being against our moral principles," he said.
"I have therefore had to contact the national coach and questioned him about this issue and he has explicitly denied having agreed to posting of such selfies on social networks."

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Super Eagles and Monaco defender celebrates 27th Birthday

Google Image: Elderson Echiejile
The former Braga defender shared on Twitter on Tuesday morning ''It's my birthday day and YES it's the beginning of new and better things to come. God bless ME. #ThankGod''
Twitter/@EldersonEch
We wish you a fulfilling 2015 and many fruitful years to come. Happy Birthday Elderson.

Enyeama congratulates Senegal, warns Ivory Coast in quest for AFCON glory

Following Senegal's 2-1 victory over Ghana on Monday, Nigeria Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeam has warned Cote d'voire to beware of the Taranga Lions in their quest for AFCON glory.
Google: Vincent Enyeama
The Lille of France number one congratulated his teammates Pape Ndiaye Soure  and Gueye Idrissa Gana in the Senegalese squad for their victory in the first Group C game but also warned the Elephants of Cote d'voire to watch out for the Lions.

He shared via Instagram ''Proud of you my boys.felicitation.congratulations for your first victory contre GHANA at AFCON2015#EQUITORIALGUINEA @zididi@p.souare_23 keep the fire on @salomonkalou @ryanmendes20 be careful,they are coming to get you.#AFRICAUNITE''

Ivory Coast trade tackles with Guinea in Group D opener on Tuesday evening.



Samuel Etoo flies the Flag for Cameroon ahead of Mali AFCON Tie

Google Image: Samuel Etoo
Samuel Etoo is urging the present crop of Indomitable Lions to fly the country's flag so high as they tackle Mali in their AFCON 2015 opening game on Tuesday.

Cameroon Flag: Twitter/@setoo9
The striker who currently plays for Everton FC in England shared the image via Twitter.

He use to be the Captain of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, represented his country in several Africa Cup of Nation and retired from national team duties after the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo picks up son from School (Photos)

 Super stars can be busy but can also make out time when they want to. Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo was spotted picking up his son Ronaldo Jnr from school on Monday.




All photos from dailymail sports.

Monday 19 January 2015

Happy Birthday to the Publisher Sports Talk Blog


Looking back, looking ahead and giving thanks to God almighty, the keeper of Israel.
Happy Birthday to me.
#2015 #BigDream #Ahead

Friday 16 January 2015

AFCON 2015: From The Stance of A Nigerian

By Amos Joseph
Having to watch the Africa Cup of Nation which kicks off 17 January and ends February 8 without seeing the current Champions is a bit hard, but, really as a football lover, you don't want to miss a single game as every match will have its own share of thrills and action.
This is not an attempt to remind you that Nigeria failed to qualify, it is simply to keep you abreast of the AFCON schedule even if you have to cope with the fact that ''Nigeria'' will not be playing a single game.

A little digression. Imagine if Spain had not participated in the last world cup being the defending champions, what would the world have said? They would have been missed of course. But am sure they would have preferred not to have been a part of that tourney. We saw the outcome! Beaten and knocked out early enough, they didn't even go far in the Brazil 2014.

Now, from a Nigerian perspective and for the sake of good football, what can we make of this AFCON without the Super Eagles? Can one say that the team which struggled with the likes of Sudan, South Africa and Congo be missed at the African stage?

One cannot take away the follower-ship and glamour Nigerian football fan would bring to the event, but the tournament will still have its gloss as said by the CAF President Issa Hayatou 

''The whole of Africa will miss Nigeria in Equatorial Guinea. But the absence will not in any way diminish your stature as a very big and influential nation in the African game, Hayatou said in a statement to the Nigeria Football Federation.
“It would have been good to have the defending champions in Equatorial Guinea. Nigeria brings so much value to the Africa Cup of Nations.

“However, we know that you will come back much stronger, as you did in winning the cup in South Africa last year after missing out on the 2012 championship.”
Also for the sake of football and its development, the AFCON was moved to Equatorial Guinea after original host Morocco pulled out due to reason relating to Ebola outbreak.

The Oil-rich nation will host the games in four venues: the capital city Malabo on an island off the mainland; the biggest city Bata; and Mongomo and Ebebiyin on the eastern border with Gabon.

Equatorial Guinea Burkina Faso, Gabon and Congo are in Group A
Group B: Zambia, Tunisia, Cape Verde, DR Congo
Group C: Ghana, Algeria, South Africa and Senegal
Group D: Cote d'voire, Mali, Cameroun, Guinea

From the stance of a Nigerian, a football lover and a writer: let the better side win.

Victor Moses set to return for Stoke City

Nigerian international Victor Moses is ready to return for his club Stoke City as they travel to play Leicester City this weekend in the English Premier League.

Moses suffered a thigh injury towards the end of November and has since been out.

The  Nigerian tweeted ''Off to training looking forward to the game this weekend''

We wish our own Victor all the best in his first game of the new year.

Ronaldo, Mourinho are Portugal's best of all Time

Google Image: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo beat both Luis Figo and Eusebio to be named as the best player Portugal has ever produced, in the Gala Quinas de Ouro ceremony, part of the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Portuguese Football Federation.

The Real Madrid star could not make the event as his club had a date to keep with city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Copa Del Rey on Thursday night.

Google Image: Jose Mourinho the special one
Meanwhile Jose Mourinho was also announced as the best coach of the century following his success with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Brown Ideye Shares Picture of Himself and his Son

Yeah! This is his son. The Nigeria and Westbromich Albion striker Brown Ideye posted on instagram @Ideyebrown with comment ''#Myseed''.

His post could not go unnoticed as some other Super Eagles players got attracted. The likes of John Ogu, Sunday Mba, Nnamdi Oduamadi et al.

Swansea confirm Wilfried Bony Move to Manchester City

Ivorian Striker has finally completed the much awaited move to Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.
Twitter: @SwansOfficial
The Swans made the announcement few hours afte slamming the Ivorian FA for making it public ahead of them.

''Swansea City have completed the club-record transfer of striker Wilfried Bony to Manchester City.''- The statement reads 


''Following discussions with the defending Barclays Premier League champions, the Swans this afternoon completed an undisclosed deal for the Ivorian. 

Read full details here 

Stop the rumour! Bony has not signed for Manchester City - Swansea slam Ivory Coast FA

Swansea Football club has debunked rumours that their striker Wilfred Bonny has completed a move to Manchester City.

The player who is currently on international duty with Ivory Coast preparing for Africa Cup of Nations is expected to sign mega deal soon but his present club is not happy with the announcement by the Ivorian FA that he has joined City.

''Wilfried Bony has NOT yet completed his move to . Once completed, we will confirm via official channels - not the Ivory Coast FA! '' - Swansea official Twitter profile shared.

Yaya Toure campaigns against Illegal Wild Life Trade

Newly crowned African Footballer of the Year Yaya Toure has aired his voice against the illegal wild life trade.
UNEP: Yaya Toure unveiling as Ambassador
The world is currently dealing with an unprecedented spike in illegal wildlife trade, threatening to overturn decades of conservation gains.

''Wildlife Crime is Serious Crime. Say NO to illegal wildlife trade to SAVE elephants. '' - He share via Twitter.
Google Image: Dead Elephant
The Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder is a Global Ambassador to the United Nations Environmental Program.

Sudan makes a U-turn on Friendly, Nigeria Super Eagles to Play Yemen

The Sudanese National team will no longer play Super Eagles in a friendly match earlier scheduled for Saturday 17 January.

Vanguard reports that Sudan gave no reason for pulling out of the game but a make-shift arrangement has been made by the Nigeria Football Federation to see the Eagles keep their schedule intact as Nigeria will now play Yemen on Saturday at the Sevens Stadium in the beautiful city of Dubai.

Nigeria lost 0-1 to Cote d'voire on Sunday.

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Back to Business: Ronaldo in Training Kits worth Over €400 (Over a Hundred Thousand Naira)

In less than 24-hours after Cristiano Ronaldo was announced as the World Best Player, he took to Twitter to announce he's back to his trade.
The Real Madrid forward shared a pic along with comment on Social Media (Twitter) on Tuesday, ''No day off, Even if you've earned one.''

Calculating how much the complete Nike kit he's wearing in the picture costs reveal that the goal-machine trains with a kit worth over €400 Pounds.

He's in business.
 

Yaya Sanogo off to Crystal Palace on loan

In the quest for more playing time, Arsenal's Yaya Sanogo has moved to another English Premier League side, Crystal Palace and will be there for the rest of the season.
Twitter: Yaya Sanogo unveiled by @CPFC
Sanago has featured six times for the Gunners this season and scored his first competitive goal against Borussia Dortmund last November,

According to reports on the Gunner's website, the 21-year old French international joined Crystal Palace to gain more  first team experience.

Sanogo is Alan Pardew's first signing for the team and he's hopeful, ''Watched the game against Tottenham and I hope I can help the club have a successful 2nd half of the season.''

Ghanaian Footballer Michael Essien join #PrayForNigeria Campaign

With the spate of bombings in the country, even the world at large recognizes that Nigeria needs prayers and Michael Essien has joined the train.

The Ghanaian international who currently plies his trade in the Italian Serie A for AC Milan shared  the above image on his Instagram @iam_ess along with this post ''Pray for Nigeria''.

Let's keep praying for Nigeria.

FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2014: Is This a Perfect Team?

Done and dusted! The Best XI has been announced, you don't have to agree with the selection, your view may be different and let's just say you have a player you think should have made the cut.
Courtesy: FIFA.COM
The FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2014, as voted for by over 20,000 professional players are:

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
Defenders: Philipp Lahm, Sergio Ramos, David Luiz, Thiago Silva
Midfielders: Angel Di Maria, Toni Kroos, Andres Iniesta
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Arjen Robben

Have your say.

Ronaldo wins Ballon d'Or, Thanks Real Madrid

Portugal and Real Madrid forward wins the Ballon D'or for the second year running, his third actually and hoping to catch up with Lionel Messi who has won four of the award.

He says thank you to Real Madrid, a club where he has just made history as the 9th player of the club to have won the award in this order: Di Stefano, Kopa , Ronaldo , Zidane, Figo, Owen, Cannavaro and Kaka Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo won the last edition of the award and foresees a bright 2015.

''I got my thir Ballon d'Or and so i must thank Real Madrid , said Ronaldo in an interview after recieving the award. (FIFA.COM)

''All my team-mates, the head coach, the president, and the whole structure behind the club.''

On 2015, Ronaldo said, ''This year is a whole new challenge. 2015 has already started and I hope I can have a season that's as good as the previous one.

''It will be a sign that I will be in the situation to win this title again. Let's see, step by step, game by game, I am to conquer even more with my club and from then on we'll see.''